95 93. Trying To Save A Doomed Industry. (IV)
Disclaimer: The story takes place in an Alternate Earth with a slightly different timeline of events. So people may be born early, some may be born a few years later or maybe not at all.
This gives me more freedom to write characters as I want, also the characters in my story are obviously not an accurate portrayal of their characters.
Please remember that this story is a wish fulfillment story set in Urban Hollywood with some Fantasy elements because of the system's shenanigans so please don't take it too seriously.
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Opening Author's Note: A small disclaimer here, I looked around a lot for past company profile information on the different companies that Mark would be dealing with.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to gather much information so a lot of what you will be reading, like the name of the president of a company, or even co-owner, I will be making those up.
I have been doing that sometimes in this story but never on this scale, I wish I could get the information but I looked, I swear I did but didn't find it. Maybe I didn't know where to find it.. could be. I don't know.
Anyways, my point was that a lot of the information in this chapter is me making shit up because I couldn't find the actual data/information on the internet. But I promise that it didn't bring down the quality of the chapter in my humble opinion.
Thanks for understanding and I hope you like this chapter. This the 2nd chapter in the finale of the Japan Tour Arc. The next chapter will be posted within 48 hours of the posting of this chapter. It's Wednesday for me, when I'm posting this chapter, so by Friday the 3rd chapter of the Japan Tour Arc will be out.
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Recap of the Previous Chapter –
Mark spends the night out on a date with Salma where tries out some new things like Japanese food and a new kink. They have a great time as the couple enjoys themselves in a restaurant Mark had funded.
The restaurant is called The Black Lotus and Mark had planned this date long back, he even went so far as to create an entire section that values privacy. So the first floor has a room with thick screen walls that are soundproof and one specific room has a one sided window.
It's a room he specifically had made to enjoy himself whenever he is out on a "special" date in Japan.
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– Quotes of the Chapter –
"Monsters are tragic beings, they're born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They're not evil by choice. That is their tragedy."
— Ishiro Honda.
"The Arrogance of Mankind is thinking Nature is in our control and not the other way around."
"Sometimes the only way to heal is to make peace with the monsters who created them."
— Dr. Ichiro Serizawa.
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~ Mark's POV ~
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Date: Thursday, 27th September, 1990.
(Next day after his date with Ms. Hayek)
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Time: 09:20 am
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"Mark. Mark. Sir, we're here. Please get up." he heard his name be called out, again, again as he woke up from his nap.
"Yeah, I'm up." He replied as opened his eyes and looked out of the window of the car. They had just dropped off Salma and Johnny at the airport as they will be moving on to other countries to carry on the international tour.
He had been taking a power nap after all the work he did on Salma and Horizon Zero Dawn last night. The story was nearly halfway finished and he was sure he could finish it in two to three weeks after he went back to the states.
It was just taking him longer because of all the changes he was making to the character of the villain so that he isn't perceived as a one dimensional weak and incompetent fool, but is more nuanced and has a depth to his character.
Right now he is in the Yūraku-chō district in Chiyoda City of Tokyo. It is a business district and is home to many industries in Japan. Mark was here specifically to meet the president of Toho for buying the adaptation rights to the greatest creation.
Godzilla: The King of Monsters. Mark felt like that he might being a bit too greedy and might be even spreading himself far too thin by gobbling up so many IPs and franchises but this time he really couldn't play it safe and wait for the right time.
He remembered reading that the first time Toho sold the rights of Godzilla, it was in 1992. Maybe he could have waited another year but he absolutely didn't want to risk it.
As the flaps of his butterfly wings had already changed a lot and he didn't want to miss out on getting Godzilla for himself on the off chance that Toho sells it to someone else too soon.
He had already had his preliminary scouts check if Toho still owned the rights of Godzilla and thankfully found that they still did. It was why he was here now, he had studied the way of thinking of the Japanese people for some time now and also learnt a lot through his interactions with them.
And he had learnt a valuable insight, if he respected their culture and treated them as an equal they were much more affable to his requests. Another thing they really didn't like was if someone tried to show off their money in front of them.
Well it was a tactic that could work but it will need a lot of money, an amount he still lacked so instead of trying to just buy things off of them in one fell swoop. He was going to make them feel like he wanted to collaborate with them.
This way he pays them less cash upfront and still gets to own the rights of the IP and even foster good relationships with these local powers in Japan, which would in turn help him establish his base of power in the country.
"This way, sir. Please enter." a secretary said, as she led him to the meeting room. Rose had chosen to remain behind in the car as her presence won't really be required.
Mark just nodded and entered the room, it was very different from a western office. It looked more like a living room with a low height table where his host was sitting on a cushion and looking outside into the garden leisurely.
As he heard his footsteps, he glanced up at him and welcomed him to take a seat.
"Ah, Mr. Spector. It's so nice to finally meet you. I am really looking forward to your performance this evening. Please have a seat, I know it's a little different from western offices."
"Thank you for meeting me, Tatsuhiro-san and the change is nice. It's no problem. I will try my best to deliver on your expectations."
"It's fine you're young, you have so much time to learn and grow. Pardon my ignorance, but is it true that all these songs were created by you?"
"It's alright, please feel free to ask me anything. If it's not too personal I'll definitely answer. The songs.. hmm, the short answer would be yes, I did."
"But it's not me who worked on them, it was more of a collaboration with a really talented friend of mine."
"I see, I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Spector."
"Um, if possible could you call me, Mark? It feels a bit weird to be called Mr. Spector." He asked, slowly making conversation and seeing how Tatsuhiro-san would reply.
He was analyzing everything, his posture was upright yet slightly relaxed, body language was comfortable, he seemed like he was happy to have this deal with him.
Mark was sure that as long as he didn't low ball him and agreed to offer a little over the asked for price he would happily sign over the rights to the Godzilla franchise.
Tatsuhiro-san agreed to Mark's request, understanding that western names were differently written as the family name went after the person's name. Whereas in Japan it was completely the opposite.
Mark thanked him for following along with his request and for the hospitality.
The man politely waved off the comment and asked if Mark was serious about his proposal. "So Mark, are you serious about the proposal you sent us a few weeks back?"
"Of Course, sir. I want to have a good relationship with Toho and collaborate with your company to create a Monsterverse franchise in Hollywood. I have seen movies from your company since the time I was a small kid."
"Godzilla is a creature that has held my fascination for over a decade now and if you would allow me to, I want to give my spin to the story of the mythical creature."
"My child brain didn't care if the VFX was poorly done or that there was no CGI to make the monsters look realistic. The ingenuity and heart you poured into your movies was clear as day."
"Here is a gift I made when I saw my first Godzilla movie. It was my imagination working on what a different version of Godzilla could look like." Mark said, as he gave him a wrapped canvas, it was the painting of Godzilla he had done when he had watched his first Godzilla.
Mr. Tatsuhiro was all smiles hearing such high praise from Mark, he knew that most of the Godzilla movies were looked upon with disdain by the west because of their low quality production style and lack of CGI.
But the ingenuity that they brought into their work was unmatched and it felt great to be validated on that front. He didn't think much of the painting as he knew Mark must have only been a kid when he watched it.
What he was in for was a shock, as when he unwrapped the thing and saw the painting it blew him away. It was beautiful, it was a night scene with Godzilla standing in a city block, his lower body covered in smoke.
The way Mark had used the lights from the surrounding buildings to light up the King of Monsters was stunning.
"It's beautiful, Mark. If you don't mind, I would love to hand it on my wall." He said, while still looking at the painting, it had perfectly captured the majesty of the creature.
"No, it would be an honor, sir." Mark replied with a happy smile glad that he liked his gift.
"Well, Mark, if you can put a price on it, that will show me your sincerity. I would definitely be happy to sign off the film adaptation rights to Godzilla and the other monsters as well to your company." With a ruddy smile on his face as he put away the beautiful gift while he asked Mark to make him an offer.
"I am happy, that you would want to work with me, I know I am new to thi–"
Mark tried to act humble, but Mr. Tatsuhiro put a stop to that immediately and said, "Mark, please I have seen the movie you have made and I can't imagine the lengths you must have gone through to create such a high quality movie at such a young age."
"I'm sure that when you make it, you will do justice with the Godzilla movie and make Godzilla an even bigger name." the middle-aged man had
"Thank you, for having so much confidence in me and my company, though I want to make a special clause in the agreement." Mark felt pleased to be acknowledged as well.
Even with the template enhancing his abilities, if he didn't try his very best to use them properly he could have never made a Knives Out that was even better than the original.
It was possible thanks to the template, his work ethic, Jessica's great eye for detail and the collaborative efforts of his dream team. It obviously wasn't a one man show even with the help of the system, he was happy that he had such great talent to help him.
"What is it?" Tatsu, intrigued by Mark's clause, wanting to see if he would make any absurd claims, or want merchandising rights.
"I know I will be getting the movie adaptation rights to Godzilla but I still want for the Toho company to still be able to create their own Godzilla movies if they want to in the future." It was a statement that internally made Tatsuhiro jump with joy but also made him puzzled as to why Mark would make such a huge concession in their favor.
Mark explained almost as if he could hear internal doubts. "Godzilla is a staple to Japan and I wouldn't want to deprive the people of Japan of a Toho created Godzilla movie that has become a part of their lives."
Hearing that brought a huge smile on the face of the president of Toho. He was a bit overcome with joy, as in fact even he didn't want to sell the movie adaptation rights of Godzilla and their other monsters at all to a western studio.
But the economic downturn that had hit the Japanese market had caused them to struggle to keep themselves afloat after a few movies didn't make a good return. So when Mark came knocking at their door with such a lucrative offer they immediately agreed to sell off the rights to Godzilla.
After a few minutes of discussion about the deal and about other things he had in his itinerary, Mark explained the reasons behind his performance that evening in the Tokyo Tower Hall, that it was to promote his movie as well the businesses that he will be opening up in Japan.
They talked a bit more as Mark told him about the things he loved about Japan. They even exchanged their thoughts about the world wars and America's impact on Japan and vice versa. He was pleasantly taken aback a bit by Mark's stance on it.
He found that Mark was of the notion that one should not be condemned for the actions of their forefathers instead they should be treated with respect and equality. He believed that only their own actions should determine how someone treats them.
After leisurely talking for a while, Tatsuhiro said something that shocked Mark but in a good way.
"Mark, what do you think about being a co-owner in Toho?"
"umm." Mark was a little shocked so he fell silent as he thought on the subject.
After a brief lull of silence, he looked up at Mr. Tatsuhiro and explained that the way he wanted to operate his companies is quite different from the way companies in Japan operate.
So there would be a clash in expectations, culture and ideology.
Tatsuhiro nodded his head but countered, "But you've already become a co-owner of Studio Ghibli."
Mark muttered under his breath, "but that was just yesterday."
To which the man just chuckled and then said, "take some time, it's a big ask and an even bigger offer. It's good that you didn't immediately jump to get into business with us. It shows that you've foresight."
"Maybe a few years later? Just remember that my offer is always open. At least till the time I remain president." he said at the end in a joking manner but his sincerity was clear to be seen.
Mark just nodded and thanked him for thinking so highly of him and asked if he could write a letter of recommendation. As a person of his repute could vouch of his character.
Tatsuhiro didn't understand it at first but then his eyes widened slightly, as he asked if he was going to buy some other things as well.
Mark just smiled and said yeah maybe. It was one of signature eye smiles that could be even with him wearing a mask.
Tatsuhiro grumbled about youngsters acting all mysterious and cool, to which they both shared a laugh. After he was done writing the letter, they took care of the paperwork for the transfer of adaptation rights with the special clause Mark had proposed.
Because of him not getting an exclusive adaptation rights and also agreeing to share a small percentage of the profits as royalty he got off paying them just around $5 million dollars for the entire Godzilla franchise along with the merchandising rights as well.
Yes, he didn't just get Godzilla but the entire franchise that included other monsters like mecha-godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan along with the rights to sell their merchandise.
He had watched Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, so he was filled with ideas of what he wanted to do with this IP. 'It was turning out to be a good, good day.'
After getting that letter of recommendation Mark thanked the man once again and left, he also had one such letter from Studio Ghibli.
These letters were actually insurance because he would be going to some really high level places and he didn't want to be turned away directly from the door before he could even give them his sales pitch.
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It was the night of the same day and Mark's performance had gone perfectly, he had started off with performing Experience for the audiences.
It was slowly becoming a staple in his performances and if he didn't perform it, then would have to later on do so at the vehement requests of the audiences.
After that was a more upbeat and hopeful rendition of Ashes on the Fire, the song really brought the venue to life with people clapping and cheering after the song's end and knowing the stoicism of the Japanese in the 90s this was already high praise.
He had thought long and hard about what song he wanted to perform for the Japanese audiences. He thought about some anime openings that were his favorite but then remembered that it was still 1990.
So in the end, he decided to go with something more traditional, he chose Sadness & Sorrow from Naruto.
It was a song very close to his heart, with Naruto being one of the first anime he had ever seen before diving into the vast and beautiful world of anime and manga.
He had decided on using the instruments which were used in the original song, including the Japanese Shamisen and Shakuhachi as well.
The looks they got when the Japanese instruments were brought in were filled with doubt and skepticism.
But as the music played out and enveloped the crowd, he could see the audience slowly lose themselves in the melancholic song about the sadness and sorrows of this world.
He was front and center playing the violin, and as he played that song he couldn't help but feel grateful for the second chance that he was getting.
At first he had been bitter and sad about his death and had only begrudgingly accepted this second chance at life.
But how couldn't he, he was unhappy at his life being cut short, at his promises and dreams being left unfulfilled just when he was so close to fulfilling them.
He recalled how lonely he felt for the first few years of this new life as channeled that pain and sadness into his music.
It seemed to resonate with the audience as Mark didn't even realize but one of his titles had activated. It was Transcendent, as Mark was channeling his emotions and pouring his heart out into the song.
He had broken through the limits of his stats and was giving a breakout performance. It was a breathtaking moment as he won over the hearts of the people in the crowd.
He couldn't even imagine how much this would help him in the future as the many dignitaries were present in the crowd, people with whom he would want to form a good relationship with or want to make use of.
So having planted this seed of a good image in their hearts was worth all the effort he had put in. This had been his intention from the very beginning but him delivering a breakout performance had been something he couldn't calculate for.
After all, there wasn't a guarantee that it would happen, so he just counted his blessings and moved on. As he had work that needed to be taken care of, his night was just getting started.
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He was again being led by a pair of beautiful secretaries to this meeting with the representative of the clan head of the Hitotsubashi Group. It was run by the Ōga family and was one of the biggest if not biggest vertical keiretsu in the publication business in Japan.
They were guests who were invited for his performance as well, so he hoped that his stellar reputation would earn him a few brownie points as he brokered this deal.
Lately he had been using his charisma at full throttle to win over the people he needed as his allies. As for what he needed from them.. well they basically owned over 85% of the most popular manga in Japan.
That was an oversimplification but that's the jist of it. His main aim was to buy the majority stake in one of their associated companies, one by the name of Shueisha.
He had done his research, he knew what buttons he would need to push for them to agree to hand over Shueisha to him.
It would take a lot of negotiation and manipulation to make them understand just how beneficial it would be for them to work with him.
But he was confident he could pull it off, his research into their day to day operations had revealed their flaws that he could use to make himself look important and useful in their eyes.
As he thought about this he had finally reached a screen door. The two ladies went to the sides and opened it as they bowed to him, requesting him to enter.
He gave them a nod as entered, seeing it very traditionally decorated with Japanese calligraphy with a full set of samurai around and even a few ceremonial swords were hung on the wall.
It was a beautiful picturesque room that had a serene atmosphere to it. Upon entering further he spotted the pair, the one at the center was a magnificent specimen of a woman with delicate asian features, quite taller than the average Asian woman.
But he thought it was justified as the woman was anything but average, he thought as he discreetly observed her prodigious bosom. They weren't obscenely big but on her petite and willowy frame they might as well have been.
These thoughts only took but a fraction of a second as his gaze moved from the woman to the middle-aged man sitting next to her. He had a peaceful smile on his face as he sipped on his tea while reading a manga as he looked out into the courtyard pond.
The man paid no heed to Mark as he didn't want to be a part of this conversation and was only sitting in as he wanted to spend some time with his daughter and seeing her at work had been some of the few moments where he felt like he could see his daughter's true self.
Mark felt a bit troubled upon seeing the old man sitting there because he knew that older people were even more biased towards the Americans and the things he had planned to propose would be immediately shot down if the old man heard.
It wasn't even just his age but because of his background, this man was Hiroshi Oga, the grandson of Takeo Oga the founder of Hitotsubashi Group itself.
Their clan had strong political ties with their roots going back centuries, so he steeled his heart as he assumed the old man might look down on him as an upstart.
Though he wasn't deterred by this thought as he was still going to try his best to get what he came for and also because he had an hidden ace up his sleeve that might just make the old man consider him worthy ally.
"Hello, I am Marc Spector. I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to just approach you like this, I don't really know all the customs and traditions here, so if I say or do something too out of line then please let me know."
"We are all businessmen here, Mr. Spector. It's fine, I was told that you were contacting us in regards to Shueisha. Is that correct?" She asked him with an inquisitive glance.
"Greetings, I am Oga Chifuyu and I am in-charge of overseeing all the activities of Shueisha." the way she spoke was polite, yet not subservient, she had pride in herself and what she did.
"This is my father Hiroshi, he was just bored and wanted to spend some time with me. So please don't mind his presence." the apologetic and exasperated tone of her's, told him that her father did this often. It was good to see them have good a familial relationship.
"Of course, not. A father trying to spend some time with his daughter is a good thing, I wouldn't want to come between it but unfortunately duty calls." he kept his tone light-hearted and sweet.
"But I'll try my best to keep it short and not waste your time."
"No, no you're our guest. I would ask you if you would like tea, but.." she stopped speaking as she glanced at his mask.
Mark just chuckled and replied nonchalantly, "I will gladly take you up on that offer if you promise not to reveal my face."
"Of course, not. You've come as a guest to our place, Marc-san. We wouldn't be good hosts if we allowed something like this to happen." She replied in a sincere tone.
Mark told her that he couldn't drink any tea with high caffeine as it was nearing night time. Ms. Chifuyu's eyes lit up in appreciation as she told him that she also had trouble sleeping if she drank tea with high caffeine and had her own special collection with less caffeine.
Mark shared some of his own experiences drinking tea and his favorite varieties. Meanwhile she asked a maid to bring some tea for them.
She asked how many languages he knew, just to fill in the empty space in their conversation and it was also something she wanted to know about Mark.
"Just speaking or do you mean languages that I can read and write?" He asked with a teasing smile.
Her eyes widened slightly as her interest was piqued, "both" she blurted out.
"Well, I can speak 12 languages, if it's reading and writing as well then it would be 10. I am also learning two new languages in the meantime."
"That's really impressive, Mark. Can I ask you why you're trying to learn so many new languages?" She replied, impressed with Mark's intellect.
"Of course, not. It's just me trying to keep my mind active and learning new things excites me."
"If I have to give you a reason I guess it would be to read and watch stories from different countries in their native language. As not all languages translate properly to English so there is a gap in the quality of the work." He thought for a bit and replied as they were served some freshly made tea.
After seeing the maid leave, Mark began taking off his mask, till now Hiroshi hadn't really made any conversation and just leisurely sat there reading a manga.
After peeking to take a glance at the cover of the manga, Mark found that it was the third volume of the newly released Hajime no Ippo. He knew of it as anime and it was considered one of the best sports anime ever.
It was serialized by Kodansha in the shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
After taking a few sips in silence, Mark patiently waited for her to break the silence.
"So, Mark, please speak freely. I am curious to see what offer you got for us." She spoke up finally, ready to hear Mark's proposal.
"I feel like you were expecting me to approach you guys." He replied with a slight chuckle.
"Well, your dealings with Toho and Studio Ghibli aren't exactly hidden from us industry insiders."
"Well, then I would like to submit this to you." Mark said, taking out the letter of recommendation.
"I got Mr. Miyazaki and Mr. Tatsuhiro to write whatever they thought about my character and personality in this letter and if they thought I am a person fit to be worked along with." His tone was sincere and for the first time in the meeting Mr. Hiroshi reacted to words.
When he heard the names of the head of Studio Ghibli and the president of Toho himself write a letter for Mark, his interest was piqued. He turned and whispered something to Chifuyu, who looked a bit conflicted.
But then turned to Mark and asked, "Mark is it alright if my father reads them as well. I know I said that he won't get inv–."
"It's fine. Please go ahead." He said, agreeing easily, seeing this as an opportunity to win over the old man as well. As it was a plan that he had made after a lot of information gathering, Mark knew Hayao-san and Tatsuhiro-san were actually good friends with Hiroshi-san.
It was for this very reason that he acted so respectful and clean when interacting with the two old industry heads. He buttered them up so that he could use their good words to win over this old man and complete his deal.
If the old man wasn't here, it would be even better as these letters would be enough to show his credibility to chifuyu-san and complete this deal. But with these letters in his possession he was going to win either way.
"So, while he reads the letters, let me give you my sales pitch." he cracked a small joke to ease the slight tense atmosphere that had been created.
The two youngsters shared a laugh as she gestured for Mark to begin as she leaned forward paying her full attention to him.
'His eyes are so beautiful.'
"I want to buy an ownership stake in Shueisha." her eyes widened at that statement and she looked like she was gonna refuse immediately but she held back.
"Only Shueisha? I thought a man of your ambition would want to dip his hands into our other publishing houses as well." she asked, teasing him slightly, but also trying to gauge his reaction and see if she could bait him into buying more to satisfy his ego.
"Nope, only Shueisha is my target for now, as I'm focusing on shonen manga. It's because it's the genre that's the closest to what the American comic books are putting out." He explained to her the tastes of the comic book readers in America.
"Maybe later on when a proper base of manga readers has formed we could introduce other genres of manga like Seinen, Josei, Shoujo and more."
Mark had decided to only go for Shueisha because it was the publisher of the magazine Shonen Jump.
Shonen Jump was the most sold magazine in Japan and was the publisher of some of the biggest names in manga like – Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Gintama, Hunter X Hunter, Dragon Ball, Death Note, My Hero Academia, etc.
Now he had already stolen one of the manga series from it but he didn't want to put so much effort into stealing every single one of the good one's.
So he decided it would be better to just buy the company that publishes them that way he would have a certain degree of control over them and with this control came ease of buying out adaptation rights.
Now all he had to do was sell them the idea that him owning the company would actually be good for them as well.
"I believe in the power of Manga, it is a wonderful style of storytelling that has the potential to cross cultural gaps and is something that if we put our backs in and improve."
"It could be sold not just in Japan but rather all over the world and to not just a few million people but rather hundreds of millions of people."
"I know it sounds crazy but please hear me out." She was just glad she didn't have any tea in her mouth or else she could spat it out in a shameful display as she couldn't control her nerves at his absurd claims.
"Right now, manga has almost zero presence in the US, with Viz Media releasing their first title back in 1987 - Legend of Kamui. I don't mean any disrespect but to be honest it was a poor choice as the first manga to be serialized."
"Now that I have told you what I want from you, let me tell you what I can provide if we collaborate and join forces."
"Here's my own original comic book that is currently being serialized." he said as he pulled out the first issue of Naruto that he had specially translated and printed into Japanese to showcase for this specific moment.
"Just last week it became the second most sold comic book series in America, right behind Secret Wars which is also a comic series written by me." he said handing over the first issue of Naruto.
"I know it will be presumptuous of me to say this but currently I am my only competition right now in America." It was but she felt that he wouldn't lie about something like this.
"It's the story of a boy who despite being mistreated and shunned by the people of his village dreams of someday becoming the hokage of his village. He wants to become a Ninja and protect the ones he cares about."
"It has a lot of Asian elements and things that one would consider foreign and unknown to the American mind but the fact of the matter is that it is selling like hotcakes currently."
"We are slowly expanding our publishing numbers with issues that come out. I believe I can do the same for the manga published by Shueisha. Viz media has been in operation for over 4 years with not much to show to their name."
"Allow us to take over from them and I will guarantee that you'll see returns. Also it will be a two way transaction, an exchange actually."
"Eidolon will be in-charge of selling Shueisha's manga in America and Shueisha will have the exclusive right to sell Eidolon comics in Japan."
"This will become another source of revenue for you." Her eyes lit up at that statement, as she understood the implications of their deal.
"Also, I want to improve the Manga creation process, the way it is going currently.." Mark shook his head with an expression of regret and pity on his face.
"It's simply not sustainable in the long run. The mangaka's will simply burn out and this will lead to the manga being dropped, until it is picked up by someone else but that opens a whole new can of worms."
"Mr. Spector, I respect you, but please don't look down on us." she spoke with a clear irk on her face, she felt Mark was trying to disregard and disrespect their ways of doing things.
"I am not chifuyu-san. Just now you read a few pages of my comic book. How was the artwork? The print quality? The pacing? The panel division? How would it compare to the best you offer here in Shueisha?"
"It was done really well. It's better in quality than any offering currently in Shueisha's catalog." She admitted truthfully as she examined the paper quality, the binding, the vibrant colors, the realistic art style, it was simply a work of art.
"Do you know how many people worked on that?" he asked, wanting to see if she would try to guess.
Seeing her silence, he nodded in understanding and answered himself, "Eleven people worked on creating that first chapter, if you include me as its writer then the head count will be 12."
"I know of the proverb – too many cooks spoil the broth. But if everyone's role is clearly defined and divided then having a team of creatives work on a comic or manga is only beneficial."
He was trying to sway their minds, "It reduces the workload and stress on the sole mangaka, it increases the speed at which a chapter is finished."
"So it leaves more time for the mangaka to think about the story and plan for where he or she wants to take it next. Thus raising the quality of the work." This was the point that gained her interest as she wanted their manga to be the best.
"It also creates more job opportunities for people, which in turn leads to the growth of the industry and economy." and this was the point that gained Mr. Hiroshi's interest as he wanted for the manga industry to flourish as it was his cash cow.
Mark could see that he had their undivided attention and interest and they were seriously considering his offer. So he decided to go in for the kill.
"But it doesn't stop here, let's move on to the next change I plan on introducing. I find the mangaka tradition to be very odd. I don't dislike or think it's bad, per say." he tried to be more diplomatic with his approach as he had noticed that chifuyu didn't like it when he spoke against the manga creation process.
"It's just odd to me that someone who has an interesting story to tell and they want to make it into a manga. They need to have great artistic skill as well because if they aren't good at drawing how will they be a mangaka?"
"Why do they need to be good at drawing? Why can't they just work together with a great illustrator and bring that story to life."
"Just think, Chifuyu, think about all those great stories that die every year just because the one who came up with them doesn't have the skills to draw them."
"Or even a great artist who didn't get to make his name in the industry because he just couldn't come up with a good or interesting story. He can draw really well, but when it comes to ideas for a story his head is just empty."
"But what if you combine the two, put them in one shared house and tell them you write the story and you draw them as he imagined his story to be and voila you have got your hands on a great team of mangaka."
"Please don't think of this as me insulting the manga culture in Japan. I love certain things about it. I love how low the barrier to entry is for people who want to write their original story."
"In America it's not like that, if you get hired in Marvel comics then you will be just creating stories for pre-existing characters or trying to pitch new characters. But you won't get to write your own story and that's just sad."
"This was the state of the American Comic Book industry a few months back but now I am here and things have changed."
"Adopting the Japanese methods and style I have lowered the barrier to entry in the industry and even set-up a workshop to teach people how to create comics."
"America didn't really do black and white comics like Japan, so the cost of production of comic books in America is quite high right off the bat."
"This is something I copied from you guys, we are currently in the midst of transforming the American Comic Book industry. We are teaching the artists how to do black and white comics and still make them good."
"We even re-introduced the lower priced paperback comics that can be made at a much lower cost than that of the comics we make today."
"All these are things we picked and copied from the Japanese Manga industry."
"We all have our strengths and weaknesses, I just want to improve the working conditions of the mangaka's in the industry and make becoming a mangaka into a dream job in Japan."
"Something people will look up to and aspire to become."
"But that's still a bit too far into the future, coming back to the point of combining a great writer and a great artist to create a great Mangaka team."
"I even have a great way to find them and decide how to get them to collaborate with each other but let's leave that after I hear your reply to my offer."
These changes that he had stated were things that the manga industry had partially adopted but it took them over a decade to get through their thick skull that they needed to change or they would die out.
"So, let's summarize my offer. I want to buy a stake of ownership in Shueisha at least sizable enough that I have a controlling right over its operations and work policies."
"How big of a stake are we talking about here."
"I won't insult you by asking to just completely hand over your family business to me, but if you really want to properly incentivise me and make it worthwhile for me to wholeheartedly dedicate my time and money into this project then I atleast need 51% ownership over shueisha."
Mark could see that his words had made Hiroshi's brows furrow in thought, he knew he was asking for a lot with almost nothing to show for it. But he also felt like the incentives he had given them were quite generous enough already.
And for the first time in the meeting he saw the man actually engage in conversation, it seemed like Mark had finally peaked his interest.
"Mr. Spector. As you said already this is a family business, so we can't just let an outsider take a majority ownership stake in it."
"Hmm, about the majority stake, what is it actually that you want to gain out of it? Is it ownership of adaptation rights to our catalog of manga?"
"Yes, I need the right of first refusal on the adaptation rights, the exclusive right to publish these manga in the international markets and universal adaptation and fair use of your catalog of manga and novels."
"You ask for a lot, Mr. Spector." the man grimaced, acting like he wasn't interested.
"I am willing to give a lot in return as well." Mark replied steadily at ease with the pace of the conversation.
"Are you?" Hiroshi asked with a cunning smile.
"Please name your price, if I am able to, I would definitely match it." Mark replied with a confident smile, knowing that he can match the price Hiroshi was gonna ask of him.
"Hoho." but the man snickered, "It's not money I am in need, Mark. Even though the market conditions are getting worse, we are an old name in this business, we will sustain ourselves."
"If you're really sincere in your offer then prove it." he finally said, leading the conversation where he wanted it to go.
"How can I do that?" Mark asked, though he had a weird feeling in his heart. He was certain the old man was going to put forward a weird condition.
"If you agree to marry my daughter and become a part of the family, I wouldn't just hand over Shueisha to you but maybe even the keys of the Hitotsubashi Group to the child born from your marriage."
Mark's eyes widened slightly at his statement, he understood what the old man was asking of him. But he didn't feel like the deal was worth sacrificing his freedom of choice over it.
"What?! Me?" Mark immediately rejected the offer but he knew he needed to soften the blow so he came up with a few logical reasons why it would be a bad idea.
"No! No, that's impossible, I am not Japanese, I am a foreigner. An American on top of that, you would be burning a lot of bridges if I were to marry you only daughter."
'yeah, that should be enough to deter this scheming old fox. After all, all Asians care a lot about their reputation.'
"That might be true, but I have done a bit of a background check on you young man. You've raised yourself from the middle class strata into the top 1% of the population with just your hard work and talent alone.
"You're very sharp in the financial and business side of things despite your interest in the pursuit of arts. It is this hard working ethic and sharp intellect of yours that made me want to offer my daughter's hand."
"After all, what bond is stronger than that of family, if you were my son-in-law. I would be willing to allow you free reign to make the changes you want to our company's structure, work style and more.
'Damn. Fuck. This old man definitely knows how to sweeten the deal. I need to think of something fast. Hmm.' Mark cursed the old man in his mind as he tried to think of a solution.
— To be continued…
In the next episode of The Morning S̶h̶o̶w̶
*Cough* *Cough*
I meant in the next chapter of Hollywood: Head-Hunting System.
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Word Count: 7.3+k words. (after excluding the disclaimer, opening Author's Note and the closing Author's Note.)
Closing Author's Note: I am glad that I was able to deliver this chapter on time. Here we see Mark buying off the entire Godzilla franchise, while also attempting to buy a stake of ownership into the company that publishes Shōnen Jump, the magazine where all our favorite shonen manga are serialized.
If you thought this was the end of it then think again, because as I said in the last chapter. Mark is only just getting started. The next chapter that will be the 3rd part of the finale of the Japan Tour Arc will come out in 48 hours from the posting of this chapter. It's now Wednesday for me, see you guys around in 2 days on Friday.
I hope you liked this chapter and if you did then please vote with your power stones and comment on what things you liked, what you would like to see in the future chapters, etc. I hope you guys have a beautiful day. Bye (◠‿◕).
